history

If you are a New Yorker, a former New Yorker, or someone new to the City, you should own this book. The photography is both penetrating and compelling, and the characters featured are truly fascinating. It's like the Zagat of New York people. I hope the author comes to Los Angeles to do a book on characters here (there are plenty)!

Gillian Zoe Segal's book, New York Characters, is outstanding- the best photography book I've ever seen/read! The photographs featuring prominent New Yorkers are incredible. Each one captures the true essence of the "character" and truly comes to life on the page. The characters are all photographed in their natural environment, and as Segal points out and demonstrates in her book it is New York's characters that make "it the greatest city in the world". In addition to her photographic genius, Segal writes beautifully. The vignettes's about the characters are intersting, informative, humorous, and touching. No coffee table should be without a copy of New York Characters. It makes the perfect holiday gift for New Yorkers as well as out-of-towners because everyone loves or has an interest in New York, right? Furthermore, all of the proceeds of the book sales are going to the September 11th fund. So what could be more gratifying than supporting the city's recovery effort by buying this wonderful book for yourself, for your friends, for your family...? I feel confident in saying that anyone who picks up New York Characters will enjoy it immensely. What will Segal do next? I can't wait....

I am happy to say I reside on the West Coast, but I have Big Apple dreams. The tourists take pictures of the buildings, but those in the "know" know New York is all about the PEOPLE. Segal does an amazing job of weaving great writing with amazing photography on this very subject; the people. New Yorkers will love this book for it shows why they are who they are; and those of us on the other coast will be reminded that some things can never be duplicated elsewhere and why we all need a trip back to the island every once and awhile.

The Other Side of Time, is, along with Paul Fussell's Wartime, one of the best books ever written about World War II. Brendan Phibbs was a combat surgeon drafted into the Army in 1942 who saw service in Europe later in the war. The book is written from the diaries he kept at the time and re-read years later. Some of the passages in this book are incredibly beautiful, the first
story, about the burial of an ordinary soldier named Wally is
fantastic. The book pulls no punches, Phibbs talks about the anti-semitism of his fellow doctors, the incompetence of many US military officers, the evil of the Germans and the stupidity of our Department of State in repatriating Russian POWs and displaced persons back to Stalinist Russia after the war. These stories make it hard to read, you want to weep when you read about the indifference of American medical authorities to the suffering of death camp inmates and gnash your teeth at the incompetence of our officers who sent inferior American tanks into head to head battles with the superior German panzers, only to see them destroyed. But despite these stories the heroism of the soldiers that Phibbs served with shines through. I really wish that they would reprint this book, or that HBO would do a series based on it as they did on Stephen Ambrose's Band of Brothers.

One of my all-time favorite books, this is a beautifully written account of what WWII was actually like for US Infantry in western Europe. Unlike many WW II books in which the men who did the actual fighting are reduced to footnotes, the ordinary soldier is the "hero" of this book. These men come across in Phibb's book as what they were: ordinary Americans who overcame mind-numbing horror and fatigue in order to force the Nazis back into their holes. Steven Spileberg should have made this book into a movie instead of "Saving Private Ryan" if he had wanted to show what the war in western Europe was really like for ordinary soldiers.

"The Other Side Of Time" by Brendan Phibbs; sub-titled: "A Combat Surgeon In World War II. Little, Brown, and Company, Boston, 1987.

The writing in this book is superb. The insight equals the writing. Dr. Brendan Phipps was training as a surgeon when the Second World War interfered with his life. Some forty years later, after the death of his wife and after his children "scattered", he sat down with a box, full of notebooks ("...one stained with long-oxidized blood) , reports, a German soldier's paybook and a "...few pages of military jargon", to write his memoirs. He did a great job.

His book covers the end of the war in Europe, when American forces were advancing into Germany and it was becoming clear that the war was over. His comments hit the highpoints of many other books: "...they (the Germans) have dumber generals than we have". (Page 91). "An elderly Irishman ... (stated) ... that Germans learned slower than pigs at their Latin." (Page 90). American Sherman tanks burn: "Bitter commentary on American engineering. American slavish addition to high-octane gasoline; diesel-fueled , heavily armored German tanks keep right on coming." (Page 152). But, throughout it all, he is able to put a human face on the horror and terror that they experienced. Because of his ability in French and German, Dr. Phibbs also brings some of the other side into his book, as when he describes how the collaborators were dealt with in the so-called Colmar Pocket in France.

This book is, perhaps, one of the best-written memoirs of World War II. His last sentence in the Preface:
"Please, young people, listen to us before we leave."

Once again, Bill Bennett has demonstrated his exceptional ability to choose an unfortunately undervalued topic in today's society (in this case, the Founders), and pull together a book which should be required reading in our public schools and which each and every candidate for elected or appointed office should be required to read, then submit to a test which would shame the SATs! Failure to pass with an 'A' would bar the individual from holding or seeking office for a period of 5 years! There is a clear correlation between the increase in our nations material wealth and the trend which finds our historical roots becoming more and more distant. Knowing, understanding, appreciating, and following the precepts of this book will go a long way towards reversing a sad and truly disgraceful trend.

This is one of those rare books that makes you wistful for a more civil age. When I first started the book, I must confess that I didn't want to "waste my time" reading all the essays -- about things that didn't particularly interest me, or from authors from whom I'd already read. However, my biases were quickly squelched after reading -- and re-reading -- the first few essays.

The value in this book comes from Mr. Bennett acknowledging the fact that the men and women writing these essays were not perfect. On the contrary, they recognized their weaknesses. But rather than wearily accept those weaknesses, they held themselves to a "higher standard" and strove to overcome their challenges. They are examples we all can learn from.

This is an excellent resource for teaching your kids that America was founded on Christian Principals by God Fearing men. Provides PROOF that the American History texbooks are lying when they call our founding fathers Diests. Many, if not most of them were in fact devoted Christians.

This is probably one of the most important books I've ever read. General Risner employs no verbal tricks in his account of his life as a POW in the Vietnam War; he simply states fact for fact. The visual images of torture are so gripping that despite the 114 pages of this book, it took me days before I turned the last page. And, when I had finally finished, my thoughts and actions were truly changed; I saw whole new levels to the war of ideas, of partisan politics. One passage that struck me in this book, and that I read over and over again, was how one of the factors of surivival for Risner was his belief that the American people were behind him. Ultimately, this book has given me courage that I didn't know I had inside me. This is a painful, extraordinary book.

This book is an enigma. Risner's style is not polished. He doesn't overwhelm with vocabulary or imagery. Rather, his friendly, relaxed, matter-of-fact manner invites you into Hanoi Hilton, into his cell, where you join him for 7 1/2 years of isolation, misery, agony, and pain. With simple, frank text, the author introduces the reader to the life of the POW with startling clarity. You will not soon forget the images found in this writing. It is clear why the Chief of Staff of the Air Force has included this book on the recommended reading list for USAF professionals. General Risner is a true American hero. His example of courage, intelligence, devotion, and honesty should be followed by us all. To read this book is to glimpse, if only for a few hours, the horror of Vietnamese prison life. General Risner reminds us about having faith in God, confidence in ourselves, and pride in our country.

To describe courage and bravery, strength and resilience, pride and professionalism, it only takes two words....Robinson Risner. In an ordeal that began in 1965 and lasted for a monumental seven and a half years, he was incarcerated in the Hanoi Hilton and Zoo prison compounds in North Vietnam after he was shot down.

Subjected to unspeakable tortures and barbaric conditions, Robinson Risner literally descended into a pit of hell from which he was eventually delivered out of by his relentless perseverance and his faith in God.

After reading The Passing of the Night, it reinforced my pride in America, our military, and the extraordinary stature of our convictions and beliefs in the most desperate of times.

Robison Risner's book is heartfelt, down to earth, and very moving in its portrayal and leaves a resounding message for everyone. No matter how difficult things may be in life, never lose faith in yourself and always know God will never give you more than you can handle.

This book comes highly recommended to anyone and everyone.

A mesmerizing account of the Kastner trial that becomes a harsh and bitter critique of Zionist collaboration with the Nazis. Hecht sets the historical stage, then lets the witnesses tell the chilling story in their own words. This book is near-impossible to find in public libraries. Searching in New York City some 15 years ago, I turned up a single copy in the special collections of the New York Public Library which I was permitted to read (in one sitting) in a locked room. The (unsubstantiated) rumor was that Israeli Prime Minister Ben-Gurion had ordered the removal of the book from public libraries around the world. The New York Times review by Homer Bigart was critical, stating that "Mr. Hecht indulges in some crude distortions of history." In a letter to the Times, Hecht's widow responded that the author "wrote 'Perfidy' to defend the honor of Europe's slaughtered Jews - specifically Hungarian Jews, decoyed and then defamed - against such horrible defamation as that in Bigart's musing." Mrs. Hecht concludes: "'Perfidy' is a book of heroes, of honor for heroes, of pride and love for the Jews who were allowed to die with neither."

Ben Hecht wrote this book in 1961. In the last 15 years, many historical studies have corroborated Hecht's findings: Ben Gurion and his socialist cronies, as well as most of the Jewish leaders in the U.S., did almost nothing to save the Jews of Europe in 1933 - 45; in many cases, they hindered efforts of rescue. Perfidy describes the shamful Kasztner affair where close to a million Hungarian Jews might have been saved but were betrayed in 1944. A similar pattern, however, occurred throughtout the Holocaust: The Jewish socialists in pre Israel Palestine bowed to the British who did not want any Jewish refugees in Palestine which would have offended the Arabs. The American Jewish leaders considered FDR as God. FDR, and his administration, did not want to help the Jews so everybody kept quiet and did nothing, including the Russians. The only ones who fought this conspiracy of silence were the Irgun members. Hecht dramatizes all these historical facts very well. No doubt, the Allies did not want anything to interfere with the war effort, but their excuses for not trying to save the Jews were cynical and outright anti-semetic. The war years were full of monumental rescue undertakings by the Allies such as the shipping of 40,000 British children to the U.S, and the rescue of several thousands Yuguslav partisans. In 1944, due to the Irgun's public relation campaigns and mounting political pressure, FDR was forced to create the War Refugee Board which saved about 200,000 Jews from slaughter (according to historians' estimates). Hecht did not mention it in Perfidy which does not deal with the U.S. response to the Holocaust. Although Hecht's description of the shamful betrayal of the European Jews by Ben-Gurion, Weiztman, and others has been well documented in recent years, one should not ignore the real Nazi collaborators who did not want millions of refugees on their hands: the British empire, the Middle East Arabs, and the FDR administration. Perfidy includes some prophetic insights which I fully agree with: Governments, and other human organizations, are doomed. Humanity will pay for the torture and murder of six million inocent people.

"The only practical way yet discovered by the world for curing its ills is to forget about them."
This book had been on our shelves for years, conspicuously mysterious with its black cover and the lone word "Perfidy" glinting in gold. Curiosity kept drawing me to it, but suspicion kept holding me back. Until finally a conversation I had with a friend about WWII at last compelled me to begin reading it.
I had been told that it's a difficult - almost dangerous - book to read, because it will change how I see the country I live in, the country I love and whose history I am so proud of. And that it is a controversial account, so much so that it was banned throughout the Land.
From the first pages it is clear this book is not like any other. The force and conviction of the words pierce the soul. Ben Hecht's style is unique and genius. At times cynically witty, at times vividly dramatic, and at times seriously forthright. I couldn't put the book down and at the same time I couldn't sit still and keep my mind focused from apprehension.
Other reviews detail the plot of this book. I would like address issues surrounding it. Firstly, while bitterly controversial, the book is not banned in Israel. Just last week I saw several copies of it in both English and Hebrew at the Mt. Scopus library at Hebrew University. Secondly, does Ben Hecht sometimes sacrifice truthfullness for artistic style? I believe it is possible, because I am a little familiar with Hecht as a writer. Thirdly, did it change how I see my country? Absolutely. While it made me appreciate it more, it made me revere it less.
I think this is the most important book I have ever read.

This book is a must read for anyone who has a calling on their life. I read it through and and now re-reading it with my highlighter. Anyone who wants to walk closer to the Lord must read this.

Joyner has outdone himself this time.

If you are looking for meat and not milk, Rick Joyner has written the book for you. This book will challenge and draw you to honestly face and deal with your weaknesses, help you prepare for difficult days to come, and encourage you to turn your eyes to Jesus and follow Him faithfully. Only those serious about growing need open its pages.

I will stronglly recomend this book to every serious believer. This book help me understand BIBLE better. There are many great advices about how to deal with problems in our religious life. I love chapter 6 "Kowning God's Voice" and chapter 10 "The Religious Spirit".

In baseball, what is a crackerjack? A cradle? A drawing Card? Feel the apple means what? What happens when you go to the pump? Who made up Murderers' Row? Open the New Dickson Baseball Dictionary and you'll find out.

This A to Z complete listing of baseball term is about the best book on the subject there is. Paul Dickson has put together over 570 pages of facts, terms, definitions and trivia that are sure to please every baseball fan.

Filled with over 100 photos and illustrations you are sure to find just about every baseball word you can think of. Also included are a thesaurus, a section of abbreviations and a fully annotated bibliography.

The baseball purest is sure to love this book as a gift, and it is priced to meet most budgets. Overall this book is great reading and makes the perfect handy reference book!

This is an encyclopedic book. It covers everything. Fans will appreciate its breadth and depth and it can turn the curious spectator into a true fan. Great to have on hand during a game to follow the announcers' comments.

For years, from April through October, I always have my old dog-eared copy handy. Baseball is all about the little details, and there are so many of them that, no matter how big a fan of the game you are, you can always get stumped. This Dickson Dictionary goes much further than just defining terms...it gives examples, cites history, and provides some truly wonderful photos. The last time I referred to it, I was trying to learn the finer points of the infield fly rule. Usually, though, I use it to identify which is the slider, which is the breaking ball, which is the sinker, etc. This book is exhaustive. Living in L.A., I've got Dickson as my baseball reference and Vin Scully as my baseball poet. I'd say all the bases are covered. Now if we can only get those Dodgers to make the playoffs...

This is a lovely, beautiful book. Author Owen Parry brings his trademark prose style to the short story form, making "Our Simple Gifts" a true gift to the reader. In four beautifully-crafted tales, set during the Civil War, Parry transports readers to that turbulent era and gives us a sense of how love and faith endure the strongest trials. Through Parry's graceful, lyrical prose the reader is moved by the lives of a maimed Union officer returning home, an immigrant soldier seeking to make sense of his new homeland, a newly-freed slave and a Confederate soldier just returning from a prison camp. With powerful atmosphere, vivid characters and a compelling message, this collection is bound to be a holiday classic. Parry is an American Dickens. A gift indeed.

Readers of Owen Parry's series of Civil War novels have been the fortunate recipients of his exquisite literary gifts for several years now. With this collection of Civil War Christmas tales, Parry offers a sublime treasure for the holiday season. These are stories of the human spirit prevailing over the ravages of war, of quiet triumphs of hope and kindness over suffering and indignity. With their grace and wonder, these tales offer a welcome respite for anyone seeking the soul of a season now besieged by crass clutter. A perfect Christmas gift from a truly gifted writer.

In his other persona, Owen Parry is a prominent retired army officer who writes brilliantly on national defense and strategy. It comes as a surprise, therefore, to find these gentle stories written by the same hand. This is fine historical fiction. Not only do the characters stay within their historical period - no distracting anachronisms here - but so does the writing. The stories are upbeat and completely ingenuous. They might not be cynical enough for modern tastes, so here is a test: if you enjoy A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens, you will love this book. If your tastes run more toward Tim Burton's Christmas tale, you probably won't enjoy it, although you should read it anyway: it would be good for your head. No matter what your tastes, however, no one should miss the last story in the collection. It is not only the finest in the book, but a classic work which illustrates the human condition better than any other story written in the last 100 years. The protagonist is a newly freed slave who had been unspeakably abused by his "masters." Now the tide has turned, the men are dead in the war and the mistress of the house is on the verge of losing everything to the bank and about to be cast out with her retarded daughter. The simple act of Christian kindness which the slave shows toward the women brilliantly illustrates the evil of slavery and the importance of religion. This isn't Dickens; it's much much better than that.

Earl J. Hess has written one of the best researched accounts of Pickett's charge ever written. Working from primary sources with some secondary sources thrown in, Hess takes the reader through a step by step account of what happened on July 3, 1863. The author provides the reader with everything they need to understand the place this event holds in the battle of Gettysburg specifically, but also in the course of the war generally. The major actors; Lee, Longstreet, Pickett, Pettigrew and others are revealed in detail. Hess also introduces voices often overlooked. In this case the foot soldier who made history. Enlisted and commissioned remembrances are used and both confederate and union participants are included. Due homeage is paid to the bravery of the confederates. However the author also reveals the courage of the union forces that repulsed the attack.
For civil war buffs this is a must read.

For many people, Pickett's July 3, 1863 charge up Cemetery Ridge is the climactic event of the Battle of Gettysburg and the defining moment of the Civil War. Earl J. Hess has written a detailed, scholarly account of Pickett's charge which draws copiously upon contemporary sources. His book is clear and easy to follow, given the subject matter, and is poignant to read. I found myself riveted to his account.

I found a major virtue of the book was the manner in which Hess shifted his focus back and forth from the Confederate to the Union side of the line. The book begins with a discussion of the planning of the charge, focusing on the interactions between Lee and Longstreet. This is followed by two chapters dealing with, respectively, the disposition of the Confederate troops before the attack and the Union lines before the attack. I found this invaluable in helping me understand the events of the day and their sequence.

Hess follows this discussion with a discussion of the Confederate cannonading barrage, and the Union response, that proceeded the infantry advance. Again, he shifts his focus from the Confederate side of the line, and the effect of the cannonading on the Union, to the Union response and its effect on the Confederacy. He spends a great deal of time explaining the decision of the Union artillerists to hold their fire and the disagreement this decision provoked with General Hancock. This theme pervades the book and is well-treated. Hess concludes that the cannonading was about one hour in duration before the infantry charge,(i.e. from about 1:00p.m. to 2:00p.m.) contrary to some other accounts which make it substantially longer.

There are detailed discussions of the Confederate infantry advance to the Emmitsburg Road, to the Stone Fence, and, for a small number of intrepid southern soldiers, over the wall and into the Union lines. We learn about the Union artillery and infantry responses and about their effect on the charge at each stage.

There is an excellent but somewhat brief chapter on the repulse of the charge and on the subsequent Confederate retreat back to Virginia. There is an excellent chapter discussing the careers of the principle protagonists of the battle following the events of July 3 through the end of the War and beyond.

The book lays a great deal of emphasis on the topography of the battlefield, the hills, ridges, swales, and fences which played a major role in the fighting of July 3. But the key emphasis on the book is on the fighting men on both sides -- on their determination and their heroism. Hess argues that the activities of the troops and their immediate commanders were more important to the results of the day than the decisions of the generals.

Hess has many thoughtful things to say about the attack, its planning, and about its possibilities for success. He finds the attack a long chance indeed but is able to present a convincing case about why Lee believed he needed to try. Hess is highly critical of James Longstreet for the manner in which he deployed the attacking divisions and for his failure to provide support to the attack. But he does not believe the attack would have succeeded even if Longstreet had carried out his responsibilities more aggressively. I learned a great deal from Hess's study.

This book will help the reader understand the events of July 3. It shows why Pickett's charge, with its suffering, its folly, and its glory retains its hold on the imagination of many Americans.

As a Civil War historian myself, I'm only to pleases to recommend this and all of Earl Hess' other fine works. One of the best tactical studies to appear in a long while

The author of Postcards from France, Megan Libby, was just 16 when she went to France in 1994 as your typical AFS student. But she wasn't typical: she had her eyes wide open and was able to record, in a series of letters and postcards sent back home, what a humbling experience it is to be a newcomer in another culture. By turns comedic, touching, insightful, and revealing, Postcards from France is always refreshing - and it's highly likely this talented young author will go on to write more books that will be a pleasure to read.

I've been on two two week exchanges to France...both the best experiences thus far in my life. I related with this book so well. I laughed, I cried, and then I read it again. My parents read it, and have decided that after my two two week exchange experiences, and my one week family vacation experience (when I was nine) in France, that it's time for me to go spend a year there. I loved every page of this book. The author did a good job of conveying the feelings of an exchange student. She told of how it isn't always easy, but in the end you don't want to leave. Thank you Megan for an inspiring book that has helped to mold my future...I'll bring your book with me when I go to France...and I'll treasure it for the rest of my life

Libby perfectly captures the trip in chapter-size stories, each with a different subject on France and French Culture. And throughout the book Libby recounts her struggle with the laungauge. Years of schooling didn't help much.

Think back to when you were a teenager, and the vivid memories that you keep with you. Libby's experiences are not much different, only their in the France (along with trips to England and Switzerland). This book is perfect for anyone, but especially children and parents thinking about spending anytime abroad. It's a book that you want to read more about Libby's further trips.